While the cheap airfares are not a silver bullet, they will help the multibillion-dollar tourism industry recover

TERRITORY tourism operators should be excited and getting ready to roll out the welcome mat for a wave of interstate tourists this peak season

TERRITORY tourism operators should be excited and getting ready to roll out the welcome mat for a wave of interstate tourists this peak season.

A new survey shows that most Aussies have never visited Australia’s iconic outback attractions, but they’re at the top of the bucket list for 2021, with Uluru and Kakadu taking out the number two and three spots, respectively.

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We’re thrilled that Australians are looking for something different for their holiday this year. If travellers are after something awe-inspiring, majestic and exciting, they couldn’t pick a better destination than the Northern Territory. This survey is promising in light of the federal government $1.2bn plan it announced last week for 800,000 subsidised flights to regional destinations including Uluru, Alice Springs and (eventually) Darwin.

Right now is the perfect time to capitalise on what you have been delaying for way too long, and we encourage everyone seeking something different to get out and explore the beautiful Red Centre and Top End this year.

While the cheap airfares are not a silver bullet, they will help the multibillion-dollar tourism industry recover from COVID-19.

A year has passed since the beginning of the pandemic, but Territorian tourism operators out there are still hurting, especially those who rely heavily on international tourism.

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Only about 15 per cent of the Territory tourism vouchers were spent in Central Australia, so there are a lot of struggling operators down there that are desperate for a good peak season.

But the real challenge now for many of the operators will be finding the staff and funds they need to prepare for the season ahead and roll out the welcome mat for tourists arriving on these half-priced flights.

After much confusion last week, we also learned that travellers would also be able to fly to Darwin with these discounted fairs. We will be hoping for some more route announcements from Qantas and the federal government later this week. So watch this space.